When I was a child, we used to spend a lot of time around small stock ponds in the Oklahoma countryside. We had tons of admiration for our older siblings who could skip a rock clear across the pond and fetch it from the other side for reuse.

We couldn't do this, though. No matter how hard we tried, gravity overtook our efforts to cause the rock to successfully hydroplane across the pond's surface, much less, several times in succession. A single skip was regarded as pretty near akin to changing water into wine.

And so, being kids, we improvised.

Our object, we decided, was to see who could make the biggest splash. In pursuit of our quest, we found the biggest stones our little arms could carry in our quest for maximum displacement. We would often find ourselves soaked to the skin by the time the day was through, but it didn't take our little minds long to realize a VERY simple concept. The bigger the stone, the bigger the splash (to our credit, this WAS before we discovered M-80's, but I digress).

This concept is no different in the area of political or philosophical discussion. While a comment may appear over the top, insensitive, or otherwise inappropriate, a wise reader would do well to look at the writer. Is this in character with them or their general philosophy, and if not, was it designed to evoke a response or discussion? Whether you agree or disagree with a position, the discussion that results from a position that emotionally charges you often solidifies your position and allows you to more cohesively and coherently express a concept than you otherwise might have. In short, it makes you stronger.

So be careful in the moral and subjective evaluations you make of someone else's work (no this is not solely about me; it's not even CHIEFLY about me -- as to your response to my posts, most of you have been more than kind; there are other bloggers I have expressly in mind as I write this). By evalutaing the person's larger works, you may find that they are quite a different package than you could glean in a single article.

Oh, and while you're at it, look up the word hyperbole.

Respectfully submitted,

Gideon MacLeish